It's probably the least well-known of the nine symphonies, but it's an absolute cracker.
Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi
Beethoven Symphony No 4 Op 60, manuscript Photo: public domain
The dedication of the published score of the 4th Symphony to Count Franz von Oppersdorff is something of an apology. The Count, whose passion for music went to the extreme of all his serving staff being required to play an instrument, put up the money for the symphony. The premiere was contractually stipulated to be given by his own household orchestra, but that never came to pass … the symphony made its first appearances in a couple of concerts in Vienna. Hence the apologetic dedication.
The English composer and writer on music Robert Simpson wrote about the relationship between the 4th and the symphonies that bracket it, saying:
"The B-flat major Symphony is highly compact, as the C minor [5th] was going to be, yet lighter in character, as if Beethoven, unsure how to release the thing that roared in his head like a caged tiger, turned his attention to less obstreperous inhabitants of his extraordinary domain. If the Eroica is like a noble stallion, the C minor and B-flat symphonies might be thought of as belonging to the cat family, the one fierce, the other lovable, but both sharing a suppleness of movement, a dangerous lithe economy that makes them akin and, together, different from the predecessor. The Fourth belongs to the Fifth – and never so much as in the Stygian darkness of its introduction, abruptly obliterated by vivid light."
Recorded in Auckland Town Hall by RNZ Concert, 13 May 2021
Sound Engineer: Adrian Hollay
Producer: Tim Dodd
